Method and apparatus for making non-woven pile fabrics



May 14, 1957 A. G. AsHcRoFT Er AL 2,792,323

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MAKING NON-WOVEN PILE FABRICS Filed Jan. 25, 1956 IN VEN TORS A L FP50 G. ASHCROFT .5 C HOC K METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MAKING NN-WGVEN PILE FABRICS Application January 23, 1956, Serial No. 560,499

3 Claims. (Cl. 154-76) This invention relates to a method and apparatus for making a non-woven pile fabric and has for an object to produce a pile fabric of the above type having novel and improved characteristics.

In the manufacture of pile fabric wherein a flock is applied to an adhesive surface and caused to adhere thereto only a limited flock density can be obtained on the fabric by the usual method of application.

An object of the present invention is to provide a method of making a fabric having an increased ock density.

Another object is to produce a pile fabric of the above type which is suitable for various uses, such as for automobile floor covering, where a thick pile density is normally required.

In accordance with the present invention a stretchable rubberlike web is used as the base for the pile fabric. inthe production of the pile fabric a coating of a suitable adhesive is applied to one surface of the web after which the web is given a high degree of stretch, such as a 300% stretch or more, depending upon the nature of the web. The flock is then applied by known means against the adhesive coating of the web while the latter is held in highly stretched condition, after which the web is immediately relaxed to unstretched or nearly unstretched condition and is passed through a suitable drier for drying the adhesive and securing the ilock to the web.

This method results in a greatly increased flock density when the web is in its final unstretched condition. In the example given using a 300% stretch the final ock density will be four times the original liock density at the area of application. After drying the web may be sheared if necessary to produce a uniform smooth surface and a non-stretchable backing may be applied to the web if desired for improved dimensional stability.

The unstretching of the web prior to drying results in the further practical advantage that it eliminates the necessity for using a web having hot stretch characteristics.

The nature of the invention may be better understood by referring to the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. l is a diagrammatic representation of one form of apparatus embodying the present invention; and

Fig. 2 is a broken perspective view of the end product.

Referring to Fig. l, a web of natural or synthetic rubber or rubber-like material which is highly stretchable and elastic is taken from a roll 11 which is mounted on a carrier 12 in any convenient manner, and passes between a pair of feed rolls 12 which feed the web from the roll 11 and determine the amount of stretch in the subsequent zones.

From the feed rolls 13 the web passes around a lirst stretch roll 14 which is driven at a speed so related to the speed of the feed rolls 13 as to produce a limited amount of stretch in the web in the zone 15 therebetween, for example a stretch.

In the zone 15 a coating of suitable adhesive material is applied to one surface of the web by a coating roll 16 which contacts the underside of the web 10 and dips into ted States Patent e Ice a. 2,792,323

a trough 17 containing a quantity of a suitable adhesive 18. The roll 16 may or may not be driven. The adhesive may also be applied in various other ways which are common in the art.

From the first stretch roll 14 the web passes around a second stretch roll 20 which is operated at a speed so related to that of the iirst stretch roll 14 as to produce a high stretch in the web in the zone 21 between the two rolls 14 and 20, as for example a 300% stretch.

Flock 22 is then applied to the coated side of the stretched web 10 in the zone 21. The flock may be applied by suitable means, shown as a docking gun 23, which propels the iiock 22 onto the coated surface of the web. It is to be understood however that the dock may be applied electrostatically or by passing the web through a flocking chamber, or by other suitable means.

After passing the second stretch roll 20 the web carry ing the ock passes through a drying oven 24 on a conveyor belt 25 which passes around rolls 26 and is adapted to support the web as it passes through the drier. The web, after leaving stretch roll 20, is maintained under moderate tension such that the web is substantially unstretched but still tight enough to prevent back slippage on stretch roll 20. It has been found that the friction between the rubber web and the rolls 14 and 20 respectively is usually suiiicient to prevent slippage when only a slight tension is applied, particularly if the rolls are slightly roughened or fluted. This tension can be maintained either by the friction of the web on the conveyor belt 25 or by final set of rolls 27' or both, as desired. In either case a constant tension drive should be used for maintaining the web under the desired tension.

After passing the feed rolls 27 the web is in a completely unstretched condition and may be rolled up or used as desired. The final product as shown in Fig. 2 includes the web 10 which is now in an unstretched condition and the upstanding pile 28 which are dense and compacted as above described. A non-stretchable backing 29, such as a woven netting, is shown as attached to the back 10 to improve the dimensional stability, but may be omitted if desired.

It is to be noted that in the above described apparatus no roll contacts the coated face of the web 10 between the initial feed rolls 13 and the final feed rolls 27. Hence there is no contact with the coated face of the web from the time the adhesive coating is applied until after the flock has been applied and the coating has been dried by passing through the drier 24. Also the feed and stretch rolls are so positioned that various zones of the path of travel of the web are variously stretched as required for the eicient carrying out of the process.

The unstretching of the web as it leaves the roll 20 and prior to drying tends to push the adhesive up around the fibers locking them in place and also tends to make the fibers assume an upright position which they retain after the adhesive is dried. Moreover, since the rubber is practically unstretched in the drying operation any tendency of the product to curl when nished is eliminated.

What is claimed is:

l. The method of producing a non-woven pile fabric composed of pile bound to a stretchable rubber-like base, which comprises applying an adhesive to one surface of said base, stretching the coated base to impart a stretch of the order of 300%, applying a ock to the highly stretched coated surface, at least partially unstretching said base to compact and condense the ock, and drying the adhesive while said base is substantially unstretched to thereby secure the flock to the base in the form of upstanding pile.

2. The method of making a non-woven pile fabric which comprises partially stretching a stretchable rubberlike web in a first zone, applying a coating of adhesive to one surface of the partially stretched web in said tirst Zone, further stretching said web in a second zone to impart a stretch of the order of 300%, applying a ock to the coated surface of said stretched web in said second zone, substantially unstretching said web in a third zone to compact the flock and to form the same into upstanding pile, and passing the unstretched web through a drying zone under conditions to dry land set the adhesive.

3. The method of making a non-woven pile fabric which comprises passing a web of stretchable rubberlike material between a pair of feed rolls, thence around a spaced pair of stretch rolls driven at progressively increasing speeds, whereby said web is given a tirst stretch in a first zone between said feed rolls and the first stretch roll and is given a further stretchin a second zone between the first and second stretch rolls to impart a stretch of the order of 300%, then passing said web from said second stretch roll through a final pair of feed rolls driven at a speed to cause the web to become substantially unstretched in a third zone between said second stretch roll and said linal feed rolls, applying an adhesive coating to one face of said web in said first zone, applying a ock to the coated face of said web in said second zone and drying said .adhesive in said third zone while in substantially unstretched condition.

References Cited inthe file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,810,328 Slater Jan. V16, 1931 1,922,020 Van Voorhis Aug. 8, 1933 2,228,735 Spraragen Jan. 14, 1941 

1. THE METHOD OF PRODUCING A NON-WOVEN PILE FABRIC COMPOSED OF PILE BOUND TO A STRETCHABLE RUBBER-LIKE BASE, WHICH COMPRISES APPLYING AN ADHSEIVE TO ONE SURFACE OF SAID BASE, STRETCHING THE COATED BASE TO IMPART TO STRETCH OF THE ORDER OF 300%, APPLYING A FLOCK TO THE HIGHLY STRETCH COATED SURFACE, AT LEAST PARTIALLY UNSTRETCHING SAID BASE TO COMPACT AND CONDENSE THE FLOCK, AND DRYING THE ADHESIVE WHILE SAID BASE IS SUBSTANTIALLY UNSTRETCHED TO THEREBY SECURE THE FLOCK TO THE BASE IN THE FORM OF UPSTANDING PILE. 